The Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective is a tight-knit community of professional filmmakers in Brooklyn, NY who are dedicated to innovative approaches to filmmaking. The collective comes together through weekly peer workshops to provide sustained feedback and critiques throughout the life of its members' projects. It is the mission of the BFC to inspire groundbreaking films and maximize exposure of the best work from Brooklyn-based filmmakers.

The film was recently awarded the Grand Prize of the Avant-Garde Competition at BAFICI in Buenos Aires, as well as picking up two prizes at Cinéma du Réel in Paris: a Special Mention in the French Competition and the Prize for Best Original Music.

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“Premiering in a sidebar at Rotterdam, this elliptical compendium of archival and newly shot footage quickly became a ‘buzz’ picture among the event's more ardently cinephile attendees … [An] engaging and quietly rewarding affair … An impressionistic primer on tumultuous Ulster affairs during and after the Troubles.”

—Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter

“A moving and thoughtful first-person essay film … No longer beholden to his elder’s legacy, Foreman seems poised to carve out one of his own.”—Jordan Cronk, Film Comment

“Foreman has … plumbed his own unique circumstance to explore deep, delicate questions of national socio-political soul-searching … In seeking to locate an individual through his art, Foreman has demonstrated above all his own profound prowess as a maker and interrogator of images.”—Ronan Doyle, Scannain.com

“A meticulous and challenging comparison of two different ways of being a man, a citizen, and a filmmaker.”—Chloé-Galibert-Laîné, DesistFilm.com

“A film full of vulnerability and bravery”—Síomha McQuinn, Film Ireland

We are super excited to announce that BFC-helmed feature documentary For Ahkeem is opening in New York City at BAM on October 13! A coming-of-age story of a Black teenage girl in North St. Louis fighting for a better future against the backdrop of the Ferguson uprising, For Ahkeem is an official selection of over 45 film festivals, including the Berlinale, Tribeca, Hot Docs, Sheffield, AFI Docs, and IFF Boston, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. Please help us spread the word and pack the house!

After a school fight lands 17-year old Daje Shelton in a court-supervised alternative high school, she's determined to turn things around and make a better future for herself in her rough St. Louis neighborhood. But focusing on school is tough as she loses multiple friends to gun violence, falls in love for the first time, and becomes pregnant with a boy, Ahkeem, just as Ferguson erupts a few miles down the road. Through Daje’s intimate coming-of-age story, illuminates challenges that many Black teenagers face in America today, and witnesses the strength, resilience, and determination it takes to survive.

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“Masterful...shows us the undeniable power of cinema."– Huffington Post

“One of the most powerful documentaries ever crafted about the current nature of race relations in America.”– Toronto Film Scene

“Up-close, slice-of-life documentary."– New York Times

“For Ahkeem is THE millennial documentary on Black girlhood"– Jet

“This verite doc about a St. Louis teen offers compellingly humane proof of the fact that Black lives matter”– IndieWire

“A quietly impactful documentary with the texture of a narrative feature.”– The Hollywood Reporter

“A poignant look at Black girlhood”– Essence

“The deeply personal tale of one young student as she experiences loss, love and dreams that never fade.”– People Magazine

“We see and feel what Boonie is experiencing and it changes how we see life...Truly amazing”- Unseen Films

“Intimate and touching”– The Playlist

“Incredibly moving"– Paste Magazine

“A remarkable experience”– The Knockturnal

“This cinematically stunning and powerful film will leave you breathless and should be considered required viewing”– Picture Motion

Show us your best work! The only stipulation is that you have creative control over the work and you make passion projects. (Sorry, we don't workshop ads or commercial work.)

BFC is a tight knit community of filmmakers dedicated to mutual support through weekly peer workshops and sustained feedback for its members projects. Beginning in September, we will resume our weekly meetings every Wednesday evening in Brooklyn, NY to screen and discuss new work. Please note that we expect most members to attend most meetings.

We are actively seeking filmmakers who can add unique perspectives to our community. Filmmakers of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ, low income, and others who identify with underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. We strive to have a diverse, comfortable creative environment for everyone!

We also reserve one membership opening for an emerging filmmaker to act as an assistant coordinator for the group. Prior filmmaking experience is not required, but applicants should have a strong desire to pursue filmmaking and be available on a weekly basis to help coordinate meetings, special events, and social media outreach.

The BFC Writers Workshop, a subgroup of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, is now seeking applications for the 2017 season. The collective meets on a monthly/bimonthly basis to workshop its members' screenplays. We are a community of filmmakers and writers who strive to improve our work by supporting each other. We are looking for passionate, unique writers who are dedicated to fostering community and creating compelling screenplays in any genre.

Two writing samples (shorts, features, works-in-progress are accepted). Our selection process comprises reading excerpts from your works, so if you have any particular section you would want us to read, please clarify. We'll be reading only the first 15 pages unless specified otherwise.

A one-page document describing a bit about yourself, your background/experience, what you are working on now, what you plan to workshop, and what skills or knowledge beyond writing can you offer to the group (e.g. social media, illustration, public speaking, etc.)

We see diversity as a source of strength, and we especially welcome applicants who are women, of ethnic minorities, and/or of the LGBTQ community.

Applications will close August 1. Notifications will be made August 31. Please note the 2017 season will begin September of this year.

NEW YORK, June 12th 2017 -- Silent Dog Pictures' original comedy short, Fill Your Heart With French Fries, was released to an overwhelmingly positive response from viewers and critics alike. The film follows Emma (Lindsay Burdge) who, after getting dumped by her girlfriend in a fast food restaurant, is so sad she doesn't leave for a week. Directed by Tamar Glezerman (The Other War, Disregarding Gaza), French Fries was inspired by the real life story of a Chinese woman who spent seven days inside a KFC after getting dumped.

The film was released by the female-founded and run online video network The FRONT as part of their ongoing series The Front Presents. Days after it's launch on Vimeoand Facebook the film has garnered over 15,000 views, as well as hundreds of comments, like and shares. It has also been selected by the prestigious short film curation platforms, Film Shortage, Short of the Week and Vimeo Staff Picks.

"We are extremely grateful but not at all surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to French Fries" said Silent Dog Pictures founder Chris Casey. "Ever since we read Tamar's wonderful script we knew this film was special and unique and we're so proud to share it with the world."

Fill Your Heart with French Fries marks the second collaboration between writer/driector Tamar Glezerman and Silent Dog Pictures. The first was the music video for the songDon't Pull Away by J. Views featuring Milosh. Silent Dog Pictures is currently in development with Glezerman on a feature film project to be announced in the fall.

Fill Your Heart with French Fries was workshopped in and produced with the support of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective.

Silent Dog Pictures has released the first, three episode, season of ADULTS; a new, online, original series from creators Jef Taylor, Chris Casey and Garrett Neergaard. All three episodes are available to view now, for free, at AdultsTheSeries.com.

In the summer of 2015, filmmaker Jef Taylor and actor Garrett Neergaard got together with some friends to shoot some improvised scenes in Jef’s Brooklyn apartment. Several months later, Jef screened some rough edits of the scenes for the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective. Garrett and Jef’s unique on-screen chemistry and improvisational comedy caught the attention of fellow BFC member and producer Chris Casey, and he approached Jef about expanding the concept into an episodic series.

In the coming months, Jef, Chris and Garrett developed the initial rough concept into what would eventually become ADULTS. Jef and Garrett would play two 40-year old friends struggling with the unique challenges and expectations that adulthood presents. In order to maintain the organic feel of the initial concept, the episodes would all be improvised from character sketches and story outlines that were largely based on real-life experiences.

After a successful crowd funding campaign, the team began casting and crewing up for production. Jef and Garrett reprised their roles as the principal characters, Chris joined the cast as an eccentric millennial real estate mogul, and Garrett’s real-life wife – Jennifer Bowen – came on to play his TV wife. Rounding out the cast was Megan Hill as Jef’s would-be blind date and Lucy DeVito as an unexpected brunch guest.

Jef directed all three episodes of ADULTS and tapped his long-time collaborator Ryan Dickie to serve as director of photography. Ryan and his team approached the challenges of an improvised shoot with a naturalistic and minimalist shooting style that makes the audience feel like a fly on the wall of the character’s lives, and brings a uniquely organic feel to the show.

The first three episodes of ADULTS were produced, in part, as a proof-of-concept for a full length second season, which is currently being written by Jef, Chris and Garrett. The critical response to the first season has been overwhelmingly positive, with most viewers asking to see more episodes. The team is excited to take ADULTS to the next level and give the people what they want.

For Ahkeem, a feature documentary film directed by BFCers Jeremy Levine and Landon Van Soest, produced by BFCer Nicholas Weissman, and edited by BFCer Lily Henderson, is heading to the Berlin Film Festival for its world premiere. It is one of just 16 films nominated for the inaugural Glashütte Original Documentary Award.

For Ahkeem is the moving portrait of 17-year-old Daje Shelton, a Black girl in North St. Louis, as she navigates the many challenges of growing up in inner city America with one goal: to graduate high school. Filmed over a three year period, we watch as Daje struggles against countless obstacles to obtain her high school diploma, her only hope of a better future, while navigating life as a teenager in America. The camera quietly follows her as she experiences her first love and explores a challenging new role as a teen mother. Despite the daily struggle to maintain focus in school and graduate, Daje and her family show the strength, resilience, and determination it takes to survive.

The film was also produced by Iyabo Boyd, executive produced by Jeff Truesdell, and field produced by Brad Rayford.

Our 2016 new members application is live and we want YOU to apply. Tell us about yourself. Show us your best work.

The only stipulation is that you have creative control over the work and you make passion projects. (Sorry, no ads or commercial work)

Please note that we meet weekly at UnionDocs in Williamsburg on Wednesdays. We expect most members to attend most meetings. If you're out of the city or travel a ton, the group may not be right for you.

We are a tight-knit community of professional filmmakers in who are dedicated to mutual support. The collective comes together through weekly peer workshops to provide sustained feedback and critiques throughout the life of its members' projects. You can learn more here: http://brooklynfilmmakerscollective.com

We believe that collective should represent diverse voices. And we believe films should be made by people with different backgrounds and perspectives, too. The Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective welcomes women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and others who identify with underrepresented groups. We strive to have a diverse, comfortable creative environment for everyone!